


Presentation

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Genre: Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22407970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: Alex is just getting over the flu when he has to give an important presentation for an English class.
Kudos: 4





	Presentation

**Author's Note:**

> This is set when they were in high school!

In his high school career, Alex didn’t get sick very often. He would get the occasional head cold, but usually nothing serious enough to make him have to miss school. In November of his junior year, he’d come down with the flu. He got it on a Friday, which just so happened to be one week before one of the most important presentations he’d ever have to give in all of high school.   
He did everything he could to ensure that he’d be able to go to school that day to give it. Normally, he wasn’t this dedicated to his schoolwork, but if he did it later than he was assigned for any reason, their grade would automatically suffer, and Alex couldn’t let that happen. He knew that his parents would limit the amount of time he spent with All Time Low if his grades slipped, so doing this presentation on time was very important to him.   
On Friday morning, Alex woke up feeling better than he had the Friday before, but he was nowhere near perfect. His body still felt sore and tired, and he had a bad headache, but he didn’t have a fever anymore, which allowed him to be able to go back that day. Alex quickly got ready, then left right after. He’d normally get breakfast first, but he didn’t have his appetite back yet.   
He drove himself to school, then walked inside. He found his friends all hanging out where they usually did before school started. When Jack saw Alex, he smiled and walked over to his friend.  
“Hey, you’re back, man! I’m glad you’re feeling better!” Jack exclaimed.  
“Yeah, I’m mostly there,” Alex replied, his voice still a bit raspy.  
“Woah, you still don’t sound too great. Actually, you still look pretty out of it, too,” Jack said, sounding concerned.  
“Wow, thanks,” Alex said, stifling a cough.  
“Seriously, man. It’s Friday, you should’ve just stayed at home since you missed the rest of the week, anyway,” Jack replied.  
“I have to do that presentation last period, and I can’t risk moving it and having my grade lowered. I’ll be fine,” Alex said back.  
“If you say so. Hey, we have to get to homeroom,” Jack said, looking at his watch.  
“Yeah, we do,” Alex said, sneezing. Jack gave his friend a concerned look, then they walked to their classroom. After first period, Alex wouldn’t see Jack again until lunch, which was after fourth period. While he wasn’t with Jack, he noticed himself getting more tired, and he also started to feel a bit warm.   
He just had to get through three more classes and give his presentation, then he’d be free. After his fourth class, he walked to a table in the cafeteria where he ate lunch with Jack, Rian and Zack. They were all already there, eating their lunches.  
“Hey guys,” Alex said, coughing some.  
“Hey Alex, how’re you feeling?” Jack asked as Alex sat next to him.  
“I’m pretty tired, to be honest, but I’m okay,” Alex replied, wiping his nose with his sleeve.  
“You better not get me sick, dude,” Zack stated.  
“Yeah, same here. Why’d you even come to school today? Normally, you find any reason you can to not show up,” Rian pointed out.  
“I have to give a presentation in my last class. If we miss the day we’re assigned to go, my grade will be knocked some, and this presentation is a big chunk of our in-class grade. My parents said if my grades get bad, I can’t spend as much time on the band, and I don’t want to risk that. We’re finally booking shows, and I don’t want to be the reason we’d have to turn something down,” Alex explained, rubbing his eyes some. Jack leaned over and put his hand on Alex’s forehead.   
“You feel a bit warm, dude. I hope you can make it through the rest of the day,” Jack said.  
“I’ll be f-“ Alex cut himself off with a sneeze.  
“Fine,” he finally said.  
“Sure,” Rian said quietly. They all started to eat their lunch. Alex tried to eat the sandwich his mom had packed for him, but he really didn’t have any type of appetite. He ate a little less than half, then decided that he was done.   
Jack noticed this and felt concerned for his friend but didn’t say anything. He knew that if he did, it’d just irritate Alex, and he didn’t want to do that. Eventually, the bell ending lunch rang.  
“See you in a couple hours, Jack,” Alex said, walking away. His friends saw him have a coughing fit, but Alex never turned around, he knew his friends saw it.  
“He’s so stubborn,” Zack said to his friends.  
“He sure is,” Jack replied, still feeling concerned for Alex. The next tow hours of Alex’s life were hard for him to get through. As the day went on, he felt more and more tired, and his cough had gotten worse.   
By the time he’d finally gotten to his last class, he was feeling pretty miserable. Jack was already in the classroom, looking at something on his phone. Alex walked in and took his seat next to his friend.  
“Hey man,” Alex said, his voice raspier now.  
“You really don’t sound good, dude,” Jack said, putting his phone away.  
“Thanks,” Alex sarcastically replied, coughing into his arm.  
“It’s a good thing this is our last class, because you need some rest,” Jack stated.  
“Yeah, I do feel pretty bad, if I’m being honest,” Alex admitted.  
“How’re you going to get through your presentation?” Jack asked.  
“We’ll just have to find out,” Alex replied. Right after that, their teacher started class. She took the attendance, then talked a bit about the presentations. It was an English class, and they were all assigned to pick out a book they liked, and sum up the plot, and why they picked it. The presentations had to be about ten minutes long, and people could also ask questions at the end.   
Alex was third in line to present, which he was happy about. He wasn’t dead last for the day, but he could see how other people did it before it was his turn. Even though he felt really out of it, Alex did his best to pay attention to the people that went before him, so he’d feel more confident for his presentation. His head started to hurt when the second person was presenting, much to his annoyance. He took some deep breaths, he knew he just had to talk for ten minutes, then he could rest up for the entire weekend.   
After the kid before him answered his last question, Alex grabbed his papers and walked to the front of the classroom. Alex began his presentation, sounding as confident as he could. His voice started to get scratchier after a few minutes passed, and he did everything he could to clear his throat and get his voice to sound normal. Jack pulled out his phone, and started doing something on it, which their teacher quickly noticed.   
“Jack, phone away or it’s mine!” their teacher exclaimed.  
“Yes, ma’am,” Jack muttered, putting his phone away.   
“Alex, please continue,” the teacher said, smiling. Luckily, Alex was able to get through the rest of his presentation. He coughed quite a bit, but he still got through it. When he was done, he sat next to Jack again.  
“Good job, man,” Jack said, trying to encourage his friend. Alex just smiled, then put his head down, since it was hurting quite a bit now. He tuned out all of the other presentations and stared at the clock. Eventually, the bell finally rang, ending the class, as well as the school day.  
“Hey man, why don’t I drive you back to your house, and we can watch some movies together or something. You can take it easy, and you won’t have to be alone. It’s Friday, so I can stay as long as you want,” Jack suggested.  
“The company sounds great, but I drove here this morning, and I don’t want to leave my car,” Alex replied, coughing some.  
“I’ve got that all taken care of, come on,” Jack replied. He took Alex out to his car, where Zack and Rian were waiting.  
“Alex, we’ll get your car to your house, just give us the key and go with Jack,” Rian explained.  
“Thanks, guys, you’re all the best,” Alex said, handing over his key.  
“No problem, feel better, man,” Zack said. Alex gave a weak smile, then got into Jack’s car. The drive home was pretty quiet, since Jack knew that Alex’s head hurt. When they got to Alex’s house, they went inside and upstairs to Alex’s room. While Alex changed into PJs, Jack got him some medicine from the kitchen.  
“Here, take this, it should help you feel better,” Jack said, handing Alex some pills.  
“Thanks,” Alex aid, doing as he was told. He climbed into his bed, and quickly got comfortable under the covers. He gave Jack a look, which Jack knew right off the bat.  
“Do you want me to lay with you?” Jack asked, laughing.  
“Yes,” Alex quietly said, scooting over. Jack climbed into the bed and turned on the TV.  
“You feel warm, I’m glad you can just rest now, and finally get over this,” Jack said, sounding like he genuinely cared.  
“Me too. Hey, thanks for caring so much man, it means a lot. And, thanks for being here with me now,” Alex said, coughing some.  
“Of course, man. You’re my best friend, I always want you to be and feel at your best,” Jack replied, making both of them smile.  
“You’re the best, Jack. You can pick what we watch,” Alex replied.  
“Sounds good to me,” Jack replied, continuing to channel surf. He ended up putting on South Park, much to Alex’s excitement. Eventually, Alex fell asleep, making Jack glad that his friend was finally getting some much-needed rest. Jack ended up spending the night, and most of the weekend with Alex, trying to help him feel better.   
When Monday rolled around, Alex was well enough to go to school. Even though he didn’t really want to be back, he was glad that he had such a wonderful best friend like Jack to help him get through whatever life threw at him.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is a story that I wrote back in September! I really wanted to get a request up today, but I've had a not so great mental health week, and it really hit me last night, and I didn't want to write a half assed request due to not feeling so great. I also didn't want to not post, since I've posted everyday for almost two months, which is why I'm posting this story. I'm working on a request now, and plan on getting it up tomorrow! As always, feel free to send in ideas that you want written! Sorry for not posting a request today, but I hope you all enjoyed the story anyway. Lots of love, Liv.


End file.
